were
proceeding north of the town, the battle opened on Saturday, May 15,
1915, in the south, against the Russian front between Novemiasto and
Sambor. Here the Austro-German troops were thrown against Hussakow and
Krukenice to hack their way through trenches and barbed-wire
entanglements in order to reach the Przemysl-Lemberg railway and
thereby complete the circle. "At the cost of enormous sacrifices the
enemy succeeded in capturing the trenches of our two battalions."

But on May 17, 1915, these trenches near Hussakow were recaptured by
the Russians. The Austrians returned to the charge, however, and by
May 19 were within six miles of Mosciska. By May 21 they had overcome
the main Russian defenses to the east of Przemysl and were threatening
the garrison's line--their only line--of retreat to Grodek, for other
Germanic forces were advancing upon Mosciska from the north.

On May 21, 1915, the Russians opened a sudden counteroffensive along
the whole line in a desperate effort to save, not the fortress, but
the garrison. The Austrians had destroyed most of the forts before
they surrendered the town on March 22; and forts cannot be built or
reconstructed in a few weeks. Besides, the Austrians knew the ground
too well. Von Mackensen's "phalanx" was meanwhile advancing against
the Jaroslav-Przemysl front with Von Bojna's corps on his right;
Boehm-Ermolli deserted the passes which had so long occupied him and
was now pressing against the south of the town while Von Marwitz on
his right attempted to seize the railway between Sambor and Dobromil.
Von Linsingen was forging ahead toward Stryj and the Dniester; he had
finally worked through the ill-fated Koziova positions, and was now
able to rest his right upon Halicz. From there his connection with Von
Pflanzer-Baltin had been broken by Lechitsky, and was not repaired
till June 6, 1915.

The Russian counteroffensive was a homeopathic remedy, on the
principle of "like curing like:" an enveloping movement against being
enveloped themselves at Przemysl; but the case was hopeless. Yet they
met with some successes of a temporary nature. Between the Vistula and
the San they captured some towns and villages; they also got very
close to Radava, north of Jaroslav, and forced the Austro-German
troops to fall back on to the left bank of the river on a
considerable line of front north of Sieniava, where they captured many
prisoners and guns.

The counteroffensive reached its zenith o